"Rejoicing Spirits" services, held at First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, work to include those with disabilities. The church will hold a special Easter service April 27.

What is Easter?

Easter is considered the most important holiday in Christianity.

• It is the oldest festival in the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.

According to the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus was nailed to the cross on Good Friday and killed. His body rose from his tomb three days later, on Easter.

• A traditional Easter dinner usually includes ham. Ham was chosen because animals were slaughtered in the fall and the pork would be cured by spring. Hot cross buns also are common on Easter.

Birmingham >> This Easter, churches across Oakland County will come together to celebrate, including First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, which has special services to include those with disabilities.

Origins of the Easter Bunny

The origins of the Easter Bunny, who delivers chocolates and toys to children on Easter morning is actually unclear, according to The History Channel. The Bible does not mention a rabbit in relation to Easter.

Folklore says the Easter Bunny may be a sign of fertility and new life.

Many say the Easter Bunny emerged America in the 1700s from German immigrants.

The Germans had the tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay colored eggs.

Rev. Joanne Blair, assistant pastor at the church, said one of the biggest parts of their mission is inclusion, which is why they started organizing special services for those with disabilities.

The origins of the Easter egg

Easter eggs are not found in the Bible, but serve as a symbol of new life and the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb, according to The History Channel. Decorating eggs dates back to the 13th century. One theory is that eggs were forbidden during the Lent season, so people would celebrate by decorating and eating them. Egg hunts and rolling are two popular Easter activities.

The program is called “Rejoicing Spirits” and the First Presbyterian Church, which is 180 years old, is the first to bring it to the state. There are 29 congregations in a total of 11 states that also have the program.

More Information

First Presbyterian Church is located at 1669 W. Maple in Birmingham.

Easter Sunday Regular Service Times:

• 7 a.m.: The “Sunrise Service” is a shorter, more contemporary service held in the Columbarium with acoustic guitar.

• 8:30 a.m.: The “Communion” Service is typically more intimate and smaller.

• 10 a.m.: The “Traditional” Service

Rejoicing Spirits Services are at 5 p.m. on every second and fourth Sunday. Snacks, or dinner follows on the second Sundays. The church asks for reservations for dinner.

The next Rejoicing Spirits service is on April 27. The theme is Easter.

“We have a special service ... It’s an all-inclusive, ‘no-shush service’ we call it, where people of all abilities are very comfortable, it’s very participatory, it’s a shorter service, we have a skit usually — instead of just reading scripture,” Blair said. “The skit emphasizes the scripture and we talk about it, we have tambourines, drums and shakers.”

But the service always ends with everyone having chimes and they sing together.

Royal Oak resident Ann Adams and her 13-year-old son Aidan have attended the services for more than a year, but actually belong to another church. Adams said she had been searching for a place that had this type of inclusion for her son, who is autistic.

“You don’t get separated, you don’t get stares, you don’t get the reactions — which is awesome, it’s a totally no judgment zone,” Adams said. “... I actually got kind of looked at because I was kind of shushing him, and it’s ‘no shush,’ so it’s really kind of neat.”

Aidan thrives at these services, since he is able to understand the stories because of the skits and interactive aspects of them.

“It’s nice walking into a place without being so hypervigilant, (thinking to myself), ‘is he okay?’ ‘Is he going to do something wrong?,” Adams said. “... Once I walk in the door, I can just kind of take a deep breath and not have to run after him.”

Blair said: “It has developed its own community (at our church), people come, we have families from within and without the church who like to come because it is so participatory. Everybody gets to kind of play a part. We have several group homes for people with disabilities that come and it’s just formed this community and once a month, we have dinner.”

For Adams, this time is a wonderful networking opportunity with other parents and caregivers, who serve as support.

The services have anywhere from 60 to 90 people at a time. They are held twice a month, on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.

“They love it, they come (twice a month),” Blair said. “For me, it’s the true church. Jesus affirmed everyone and we all have gifts and this is where people of all ages, all abilities, all circumstances in life are so totally comfortable and that’s really the vision of this whole church.”

Blair said the people who attend these services range, but they’ve had guide dogs, wheelchairs and sign language. Each month, the group works on mastering a new sign.

“It’s just another way for them to express,” Blair said.

They even have participants from other faiths. Blair said the group has two people of Jewish faith who attend the services regularly.

For Holy Week, the church held a “Rejoicing Spirits” service, which focused on Palm Sunday. They will hold an Easter-themed one later this month.

Blair stresses that everyone is welcome and people of all abilities can come to any service.

“I think the main thing I would encourage people is if you’ve not felt welcomed, truly welcomed, all churches strive to be inclusive and welcoming, but we don’t always do a good job of that — unintentionally so,” Blair said. “We work very hard and very intentionally to make sure the value of each person is recognized.”

Adams said as a parent, she finds comfort knowing her son has a family at the church.

“The biggest thing too, I think I can speak for other parents too, we’re so fearful what will happen when we’re not around, this will be a family for the future. He will always have these people down the road,”Adams said.